Sometimes, the camera only catches the act instead of the context.
That seems to be the case with Houston Texans cornerback Kris Boyd’s altercation with special teams coordinator Fronk Ross on the opening drive of Saturday’s 23-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
After allowing a 63-yard return to Chiefs Nikko Remigio, the veteran cornerback was able to strip the ball loose. That led to a scramble between the two sides in a race to recover the ball.
But Boyd ran towards the sidelines in celebration after causing the fumble. He then took off his helmet and threw it near Houston’s sidelines while his teammates continued to go after the ball.
“I was turnt,” Boyd said. “That first play kickoff, they thought they had a big play and I got the ball out and as I’m getting up, I look at the screen and I see nothing but white (jerseys) and they’re all pointing (Texans’ way). So, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, we got the ball, too. Turnover.’ I was just turnt.”
After Kansas City recovered, officials hit Boyd with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the helmet toss. That tacked on 15 yards, thus setting up the Chiefs inside the Texans’ 20 before an offensive snap was called.
#Texans Kris Boyd explains what happened on helmet toss and apologizes, says he and Frank Ross are good @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/VOE2QBixLy
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 19, 2025
But Boyd wasn’t drawing attention to himself. As he returned to the sidelines, he shoved Ross in his chest and continued to yell while wagging his finger.
When asked about that moment, Boyd said the hit came from a place of excitement, not anger.
“I love everybody here. I love my coaches,” Boyd said. “I would never disrespect anybody. I love Frank, I’m a God-fearing man. I respect everybody in that building.”
Boyd told reporters he later apologized to Ross and returned to the game on kickoff following Ka’imi Fairbairn’s first-quarter field goal.
Kris Boyd #TexansvsChiefs pic.twitter.com/gHIi6vFKNe
— VideoMixtape.com (@VideoMixtape_) January 18, 2025
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said he wasn’t aware of the situation, but that was the least of his concerns since the penalty tacked on 15 yards.
“We can’t come out on the first play and throw our helmet. We understand that’s silly. That’s not what we teach, that’s not what we’re about at all,” the Texans coach said. “For us to be here in this moment and to throw our helmet? We know the rules and we know we can’t do that. It just puts us in a negative light to start the game.”
The Texans end the season with an 11-8 record and move to 0-6 all-time in the divisional round.